Water, bringing together all people: the OSS at the celebration of the 50th anniversary of UNESCO's IHP
The Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) was present on June 11, 2025, in Paris, in a landmark celebration: the 50th anniversary of the Intergovernmental Hydrological Program (IHP) and the 60th anniversary of water sciences at UNESCO. This international event took the banner of cooperation, resilience, and a shared future, and brought together ministers, researchers, representatives of international organizations, and civil society actors around an impactful message: transforming water into a provider of peace and sustainable development.
On this occasion, Mr. Nabil Ben Khatra, OSS Executive Secretary spoke on the high-level panel entitled "The Future of Water" and highlighted the OSS expertise in cooperative governance of transboundary aquifers and praised UNESCO's pioneering role in promoting water diplomacy based on knowledge, solidarity, and transparency.
Through three flagship initiatives, the OSS demonstrated its commitment to shared and sustainable management
of groundwater resources:
- The North Western Sahara Aquifer System (NWSAS), the result of long-term cooperation between Algeria, Libya, and Tunisia;
- The Iullemeden-Taoudéni/Tanezrouft Aquifer System (ITTAS), pooling the efforts of seven West and North African countries; and
- The Senegal-Mauritania Aquifer System (SMAS) project, launched in partnership with Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal, OMVS, OMVG, UNESCO, UNECE, IGRAC, and the Geneva Water Hub, with the GEF support through UNEP.
This project aims to lay the foundations for a sustainable consultation framework based on science, transparency, and mutual commitment.
Mr. Ben Khatra closed his remarks reaffirming the OSS vision:
"Water can be a true factor of convergence. But for this to happen, it must be governed by all parties - beyond borders, beyond disciplines, and beyond petty interests."
The OSS thus restates its commitment to making water a shared good, a vehicle for dialogue, and a lever for shared development for present and future generations.